A new report shows that the level of air pollution in India has expanded geographically over time, rising so much in Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh that the life expectancy of ordinary people has now increased by 2.5-2.9 year.
India is the most polluted country in the world. More than 480 million people, or about 40% of the population, live in the Indian Ganges Plain in the north, where pollution levels often exceed those in other parts of the world. An order of magnitude in the world, he claimed. The Air Quality of Life Index (AQLI) report from the University of Chicago.
Reports by Varsity Energy Policy Institute
Research by the Varsity’s Energy Policy Institute determined how long a person can live if they breathe clean air.
The report said that if the pollution levels of 2019 continue, the life expectancy of residents in northern India will be shortened by more than 9 years, because the region is experiencing the most severe air pollution levels in the world. According to the report, the average particle concentration in India in 2019 was 70.3 micrograms per cubic meter, the highest in the world and 7 times the World Health Organization (WHO) guideline.
“Compared to a couple of decades ago, particulate pollution is no longer a feature of the Indo-Gangetic plains alone. Pollution has increased so much in the states of Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh. For example, the average person in those states is now losing an additional 2.5 to 2.9 years of life expectancy, relative to early 2000,” the report said.
Revelation by AQLI Data
For Bangladesh, India, Nepal and Pakistan, the AQLI data reveals that the average person would live 5.6 years longer if pollution were reduced to meet the WHO guidelines, it said.
“Due to South Asia’s high population and pollution concentrations, the region accounts for 58% of total life years lost due to particulate pollution exceeding the WHO guideline,” it said.
According to the report, the benefits of a clean air policy are greater in the IndoGangetic Plain, where 480 million people regularly breathe pollution levels that exceed the pollution levels in Europe and North America by an order of magnitude.
He said that Bangladesh, India, Nepal and Pakistan accounted for nearly a quarter of the world’s population and consistently ranked among the five most polluted countries in the world.
60% of human years lost
Therefore, according to a report from the University of Chicago, South Asia accounts for 60% of the estimated human-years lost due to pollution levels exceeding WHO guidelines.
“Average life expectancy across these four countries would be 5.6 years higher if pollution concentrations complied with the WHO guideline,” it said.
Vehicles quadruples by 2000s
According to the report, in India and Pakistan, the number of vehicles on the road has quadrupled since the early 2000s, while in Bangladesh, India, Nepal and Pakistan, fossil fuel power generation tripled from 1998 to 2017.
Crop burning, brick kilns, and other industrial activities have also contributed to rising particulates in the region, it said.
The AQLI, the report said, particulate pollution is the world’s greatest threat to human health.
“South Asia is consistently the most polluted region, with the people there seeing their lives shortened by an average of 5 years relative to what it would be if the region met the WHO guideline—and even more in the most polluted parts of the region like northern India,” the report said.